Fields of Memory: A Testimony to the Great War

"You know what the war was like, my friend, but who else will remember when we are dead?--Jacques Meyer. More than eight million died, and countless others were wounded, in World War One's terrible series of offensives and counter-offensives--and the French and Belgian countryside still bears the scars of these bloody battles. Cemeteries and memorials commemorate those who perished, and the crumbling remains of fortifications and trenches testify to the war's destruction. Tour this somber, thought-provoking landscape in photographs old and new, and recall the key events of this "War to end all Wars," including the battles of Marne, Ypres, Flanders, Verdun, Somme, and Passchendaele. Contemporary materials--journals, letters, newspaper reports, and the writings of key figures such as Wilfred Owen and Erich Maria Remarque--provide heartrending personal accounts of the fighting and its effects. As you gaze on the serene images of the present-day landscape, and compare it to the wartime photos, the stark contrast will move you...and inspire remembrance.